BEIJING, September 2, 2018 - On the second day of his visit to Beijing, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi gave a keynote address at a major Chinese educational institution, witnessed the signing of a number of contracts with Chinese companies to carry out various developmental projects in Egypt at total investments worth about $18.3 billion and held meetings with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. The contracts included one for the establishment of a clean coal-fired power generating station in el-Hamrawein of the Red Sea governorate, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said, adding that the plant is considered the world's largest with its total capacity of 6,000 megawatts. In a speech he gave at the Chinese Communist Party Academy in Beijing on Sunday, President Sisi asserted that Egypt and China play a pioneering role in the fields of peace, security and development at African and international levels and highlighted that Egypt is looking forward to maintaining and developing this role as it enjoys a significant geostrategic location. President Sisi said that the current visit to China, his fifth since he was elected president in 2014, comes as a reflection of the development of distinguished relations between the two countries and an assertion of the keenness to open wider horizons for co-operation not only at bilateral level but also at larger level of China and Africa. This, the president added, is considered of special importance especially in the coming period as Egypt will assume the chairmanship of the African Union in 2019. President Sisi also said that his talks with President Xi Jinping resulted in confirming the continuity of the accord of visions and stances on various regional and international issues and at international gatherings. Saturday's summit talks with President Xi in Beijing, President Sisi noted, highlighted the importance that Egypt pays to the enhancement of bilateral ties with China in various fields, benefiting from the Chinese experience in the fields of technology and industrial development and boosting trade and cultural links between the two countries. With its civilisation and history, Egypt is considered a partner to China in the Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative which is based on reviving the Silk Road, President Sisi said. The president noted that Egypt expressed full backing to this initiative and underscored the importance of the projects that the two sides are looking forward to their implementation in the Suez Canal zone within the framework of this initiative. The Chinese president's visit to Egypt in January 2016 witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the governments of the two countries with a view to enhancing co-operation in the sector of infrastructure and the carrying out of giant national projects, especially in relation to the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the establishment of the New Administrative Capital, President Sisi said. President Sisi also referred to the huge efforts that have been exerted over the past four years to rebuild Egypt and revive its economy. Egypt, the president added, adopted an active strategy to restore its status in the region, bring Arab ranks closer and re-establish regional stability. However, the president added that the realisation of development is tied to restoring political stability in the region and stopping the bloodshed and the wasting of energy and resources that peoples have been through. President Sisi said that the past years exposed the Arab regional order to severe crises, adding that the future and even the very existence of the national state have become threatened under the effect of domestic and foreign pressures and interferences. Elaborating, the president said that Egypt has reiterated that the only way out of the Libyan crisis is to comprehensively address the crisis of the absence of the state. The aspired solution, he added, can be realised through a government that represents all Libyans and practices its authority all over the country in addition to through a strong army that confronts terrorism and protects stability as well as free elections that can complete the state's legislative institutions. On Syria, the president highlighted that no stoppage of bloodshed can be achieved without a political solution there that starts with the re-writing of the country's constitution in a way that leads to rebuilding the polity and the national state and meeting the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. Also, no way out of the Yemeni crisis can be achieved except through a political solution, President Sisi said. Before giving his speech, the president visited the academy's museum which dates back to 1933 and held a meeting with the academy's president and top staff who welcomed the Egyptian leader's visit, Presidency Spokesman Radi said. They explained the academy's role in qualifying and training of would-be leaders in the various fields and sectors of the state, the spokesman added. Later in the day yesterday, President Sisi received Ethiopian PM Dr Abiy Ahmed and emphasised the attention Egypt is paying to its ties with Ethiopia and also its keenness on consolidating contacts, co-operation and the principles of joint action in the interest of the two countries within the framework of reciprocal benefits, keeping the interests of either side unharmed and ensuring the development and prosperity of the brotherly peoples of Egypt and Ethiopia, Presidency Spokesman Radi said. For his part, the Ethiopian leader expressed keenness on meeting again with the Egyptian leader for consultation on ways of pushing relations forward especially given the historical bonds between Egypt and Ethiopia, the presidency spokesman said, adding that Prime Minister Ahmed expressed keenness on consolidating co-operation with Egypt in the interest of the two countries. The Sisi-Ahmed meeting witnessed a review of a number of bilateral files, Ambassador Radi said, adding that the two sides stressed their resolve to reach such an agreement on the Renaissance Dam as would ensure Egypt's water rights on the River Nile and equally preserves the Ethiopian side's rights to the realisation of development without harming any other side. The two sides agreed on the importance of enhancing economic co-operation and trade between the two countries in the coming stage, the presidency spokesman said. The president also held a meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during which they discussed ways of enhancing co-operation between Egypt and Sudan in a way that fulfills the aspirations of the peoples of both countries. President Sisi lauded the positive development of relations between Egypt and Sudan at various levels, asserting Egypt's keenness on maintaining intensive coordination and consultation between the two countries. During a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, President Sisi hailed the growth of bilateral relations over the past period, referring in this connection to the large progress achieved in economic co-operation and investments. Egypt, President Sisi emphasised, is looking forward to more co-operation in pushing forward investments and increasing the volume of trade, Spokesman Radi said. For his part, the Chinese premier asserted the keenness of his country on developing co-operation with Egypt in all fields especially now that Egypt is witnessing wide developmental and economic renaissance and also in view of the participation of several Chinese companies in carrying out a number of giant projects in Egypt, Ambassador Radi said. The Chinese premier emphasised that Egypt is now considered a promising market for Chinese investments and companies in view of the economic reforms and developmental renaissance now under way in Egypt and also in view of the political and security stability in Egypt, Spokesman Radi said.
